Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Pus-and-Blood Hell Worms
Category: Insect
The Myth
The Saimōshō are monstrous worms that inhabit the Pus and Blood Hell, one of the sixteen minor hells associated with the eight great hells in Buddhist cosmology. They are depicted as bee-like creatures that gather in swarms to attack the damned, pecking at their faces and devouring their flesh and bones.
According to the second volume of the Qishijing, translated into Chinese by Janagupta during the Sui dynasty, the Pus and Blood Hell punishes those who harboured wicked and foolish intentions during their lives and gave others filthy things to eat. The hell is filled with vast quantities of pus, and sinners are submerged in it up to their mouths and noses, leaving them trapped in a foul and agonizing environment.
The Saimōshō torment these sinners by consuming their flesh and bones, inflicting continual suffering. The Jigoku Zōshi (Scroll of Hell), preserved at the Nara National Museum, depicts this punishment with swarms of bee-like Saimōshō attacking the faces of sinners submerged in the sea of pus.
Sources
“Saimōshō.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655138.html